Cover for preserving-vessels



' No Model.) I I i T. LEE 8v S. HAZARD.

- COVER FOR PRESERVING VBSSELS. No. 553,922. Patented Feb; 4, 1896.

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M. Z zQ Az/Z ym 1% NITED STATES THOMAS LEE AND SOHUYLER HAZARD, OF HOME CITY, OHIO.

COVER FOR PRESERViNG-VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,922, dated February 4, 1896.

Application filed September 9, 1895. Serial No. 561,975- (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS LEE and SCHUYLER HAZARD, citizens of the United States, and residents of Home City, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw- Oaps for Preserving-Jars; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, attention being called to the accompanying drawings, with the reference-numerals marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in screw-caps for closing jars from which it is essential to exclude the air in order to preserve their contents. Vessels intended for preserving fruit or vegetables, and particularly those employed in family use, are to be principally benefited by these improvements.

It is a well-known fact that a liquid seal is the most efficient means to exclude air, and such seal may be obtained by upsetting the vessel or fruit-jar after filled and closed and storing it away in an inverted position-that is, resting on its top or cover. Should there be any defect in the closure or its joint, causing leakage, such must soon cease by reason of the vacuum arising above the contents, as well as by reason of the influence of the outer air, which soon dries and hardens the slowlyoozing liquid. The jars with screw-caps as used at present are, however, not suitable to be used in such manner-that is, resting on their caps with the latter acting as a supporting-baseand therefore one object of our invention is to construct such vessels, especially their caps, in a manner to permit them to be used as intended. The construction is such that it prevents any possible leakage from coming in contact with and drying on the shelves or other surfaces on which the vessels rest in their inverted position. We do this by constructing the caps so that each vessel takes care of its own leakage, by receivin g the same in a manner which prevents soiling of the surroundings. This construction is further of a nature which serves as a convenient medium or wrench to assist in the attachment or unscrewing of the caps.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in the claims, is found a full description of our invention, its operation, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows in side elevation an ordinary fruit-jar, usually of glass, the sheetmetal screw-cap being provided with our invention. Fig. 2 shows in a perspective view the same jar filled, closed, and placed in the position in which it is to remain while stored.

In the drawings a so-called Mason jar is shown, which is a glass vessel with a metal screw-cap, and very popular. Being a representative' type of preserving-Vessels with screw-caps for fruits, our invention is intended to be applied to it. As they are now their caps 7 are not large enough to provide asubstantial and secure base for support in an inverted position, and therefore we extend the top of the same laterally, which is best done by affixing thereto, preferably with solder, a base-plate 8, which may be square or polygonal. Around the edge of this plate we raise a flange 9, so that when the vessel is inverted, as shown in Fig. 2, with the cap in place, a hollow trough or receptacle 10 is formed, which surrounds the mouth of the vessel and catches any leakage which may ocour. The capacity of this receiver is sufficient to hold all leakage which may escape until the vacuum which establishes itself on top of the contents of the vessel stops further escape. As will be seen, the so-extended screwcap forms now a firm supporting-base for the vessel in its inverted position, while the receiver around it prevents any soiling of the shelves on which it stands. This combined supporting-base and leakage-receiver may not onlybe formed with new caps when manufactured, but it may also be attached to such as are in present use. In addition to the advantages cited this base-plate' 8, with the flanges 9 at its outer edges, forms a convenient means for tightening or loosening the screw-cap.

Especially in the screw-caps of the Mason jar the difficulty ofremoving them after a time is well known, and in which case these attachments form a wrench which at once overcomes all such objections.

Having described our invention, we claim as new- 1. In combination with a preserving-vessel of the kind described and which is to be kept in an inverted position after being filled and closed, a cover for the same, a base-plate secured to the latter of a diameter not less than the diameter of said vessel to form a substantial supporting-base and provided with a leakage-receiver 10 which surrounds the cap below the mouth of the vessel. 

